AltWeeklies Wire
Meghan Remy's Big Dreams and Strange Adventures in Lo-Finew
A young veteran of the music scene, Meghan Remy performs under the curiously plural moniker U.S. Girls. The "band" is just her and a whole mess of equipment: microphones, a busted drum machine, a failing four-track, an old reel-to-reel player and other less-than-cutting-edge electronic devices.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Patrick Rapa |
04-13-2010 |
Music
Tags: Meghan Remy, U.S. Girls
'Transference,' 'Songs for Chris Knox,' 'Contra'new
Spoon might just be the most reliable franchise in indie rock. Transference is just like the previous seven albums: clean-cut but ballsy, uptempo but not even a little bit aggro. Guitar, bass, drums, keys, singer Britt Daniel's fine rasp — everybody's on the same page, synched up, interlocking.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Patrick Rapa |
02-02-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Transference, Spoon
'The Martyrdom of a Catastrophist' is Superbnew
The Boston metal band Junius, whose superb The Martyrdom of a Catastrophist has the frustrating distinction of arriving too late to qualify for any best-of-year lists, is indeed among the more precise and scientific of recent hard rock bands.
Philadelphia City Paper |
J. Edward Keyes |
01-05-2010 |
Reviews
The Chieftains' 'Bells of Dublin' is the Greatest Christmas Recording Evernew
There's something for everyone: For traditionalists there are wonderful, inspired versions of standards like God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, O Come All Ye Faithful and O Holy Night, as well as Marianne Faithfull, who sounds like she's been hitting the egg nog pretty hard.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Rodney Anonymous |
12-29-2009 |
Reviews
Resurrecting the Dead Milkmennew
When we heard that the Dead Milkmen were officially back in the picture -- playing shows, making new music -- and blowing it out with a big Halloween bas, we gave frontman Rodney Anonymous a word count and set him free.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Rodney Anonymous |
11-03-2009 |
Music
Tags: Dead Milkmen, punk rock
The Flaming Lips' 'Embryonic' is a Surprising, Giddy Rushnew
Small-w weird in the best possible sense, the record cranks back the clock hands a full two decades, reveling in the kind of "whatever the fuck we want" experimentalism it seemed the Lips long ago shucked.
Philadelphia City Paper |
J. Edward Keyes |
10-13-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: The Flaming Lips, Embryonic
Is Kurt Vile a Lo-Fi Schizo Prodigy or the Most Important Man in American Music Today?new
When Gerard Cosloy signed Kurt Vile to Matador Records, he issued a press release declaring the Lansdowne native "one of the more important figures in American music circa 2009."
Philadelphia City Paper |
A.D. Amorosi |
10-06-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
In Philly, Dean & Britta Set Music to Andy Warhol's Barely Moving Picturesnew
The pair has long been associated with dreamy, cranky, Velvet Underground-like pop, adore '60s cinema and sound-tracked recent film fare like Noah Baumbach's The Squid and the Whale. They were born to make a live score for the Live Arts Festival's 13 Most Beautiful ... Songs for Andy Warhol's Screen Tests.
Philadelphia City Paper |
A.D. Amorosi |
09-22-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Jazz Drum Prodigy Justin Faulkner is Ready for the Big Timenew
Justin Faulkner played his first gig professionally at 13, but by that time he'd already been playing the drums for more than a decade, ever since his mother brought an Ohio Arts "Rock the World" toy kit back to their West Philly home.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Shaun Brady |
08-11-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Rewriting the Book of Lovenew
Synth-pop quartet Book of Love has reunited and is touring, including a trip down memory lane to discuss when members of the group originally formed in Philadelphia as no wave band Head Cheese.
Philadelphia City Paper |
A.D. Amorosi |
08-05-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Brash and Ballsy MC Amanda Blank is Here to Take What's Hersnew
With equal connection to Philly's electronic music and hip-hop worlds, Blank is an anomaly: Laurie Anderson with a dirty mouth and better dance steps, Karen Finley without the yams.
Philadelphia City Paper |
A.D. Amorosi |
07-28-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Carsie Blanton Gets Her Groove and Goes Motownnew
Carsie Blanton has higher hopes for her new disc, Buoy. She works a lot of words into her songs, but she wants you to savor every one.
Philadelphia City Paper |
M.J. Fine |
07-20-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Buoy, Carsie Blanton
Pilot Cloud Weathers the Storm and Shines 'In Transition'new
When they talk about creating their debut album, Justin Lerner and Nick Biscardi of Pilot Cloud sound coolly calculating.
Philadelphia City Paper |
John Vettese |
06-16-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Sine Wave Symphonist Charles Cohen Never Plays It Straightnew
Whatever the format, since 1969, Cohen's crafted an essential -- if not the essential -- spot for himself within Philadelphia's electronic avant-garde.
Philadelphia City Paper |
A.D. Amorosi |
05-19-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Charles Cohen, electronic music
The Beastly Beauty of Niche Noise Label Archivenew
Almost all of the 40-odd releases on Archive — spanning everything from dirty psych rock by Philly locals to import Asian synth duels and freak-outs — have been culled from the constantly expanding universe that is Scott Slimm's collection of live recordings.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Jakob Dorof |
04-21-2009 |
Music
